Tag: cmac

5 picks for July ArtHop

A salute to “Papa Mike” McGarvin of Poverello House tops the list

July’s ArtHop — the monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District neighborhoods — might be a little slower in the heat of the summer, but there are still lots of options. ArtHop is 5-8 p.m. (at most locations) on Thursday, July 5.  The Fresno Arts Council has a full list of venues and shows. Here are five exhibitions that I think sound promising:

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Jeffrey Scott Agency

Mike McGarvin, affectionately known as “Papa Mike” of Poverello House fame, took many photographs of the homeless. You can see 20 of his most powerful images in a show titled “View to the Soul” along with works from other distinguished photographers.

Papa Mike took photos because he didn’t want people forgotten, says Jeff Negrete of Poverello House. “He wanted those who didn’t understand the trauma of poverty to see that the poor are not faceless.”

Here’s how Papa Mike said it: “I hope my pictures have put a face on their desperation and captured their humanity. I hope that these pictures say, we are poor, but not too different than you. We love, we hurt, we bleed.”

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Now streaming: the January episode of ‘The Munro Review’

A special thanks to the cast of Selma Arts Center’s “Spring Awakening” for being my January guests on “The Munro Review,” produced by the Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC). I interview director Dominic Grijalva and actors Kindle Lynn Cowger and Kai DiMino about the production, which opens Jan. 26, and host two musical performances from the entire cast. They sound great. You don’t want to miss it.

Plus, I recap my coverage of Good Company’s “A Christmas Carol,” Fresno State’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” CMT’s “Annie,” Good Company’s “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” and Audra McDonald’s upcoming concert with the Fresno Philharmonic. And I preview Good Company’s “Sense and Sensibility” and “Annie,” tell you about a quirky little show called “Calculus: The Musical,” discuss the upcoming national tour of “Kinky Boots,” and give a shout-out to the Fresno Art Museum’s winter exhibitions.

You can watch the episode on demand on YouTube (above). And you can see it on broadcast TV on CMAC 1 (Comcast 93, AT&T 99) the following dates:

Monday, January 1 – 8:00 pm
Wednesday, January 3 – 8:00 pm
Friday, January 5 – 2:30 pm
Sunday, January 7 – 12:30 pm

To subscribe to the email newsletter for The Munro Review, go to this link:

https://tinyletter.com/donaldfresnoarts

Check out the video version of ‘The Munro Review’

Plus: Don’t forget Thursday’s big CMAC Fest

Last month I introduced you to the first episode of “The Munro Review,” an arts talk show in collaboration with the Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC). Now my second episode focusing on November is streaming. My guests this month are Thomas-Whit Ellis of Fresno State talking about “Native Son,” which continues through Saturday, Nov. 4; and Tony Carranza of fres.co, which is open for ArtHop tonight (Thursday, Nov. 2).

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Welcome to ‘The Big Tell’

New short-film competition presents 10 mini-documentaries offering distinct views of the central San Joaquin Valley

One of this weekend’s big events is “The Big Tell” film contest (doors open 6 p.m., films start at 7, Friday, Oct. 20, Warnors Theater, 1400 Fulton St., Fresno). You’ll get the chance to see 10 winning short films that celebrate life in the central San Joaquin Valley, all screened in a festival format in a big movie theater — and complete with a red carpet.

The event is free. Tickets are not required, but you’re encouraged to RSVP by registering here.

Filming
Filmmaker Troy Ruff, whose work in “The Big Tell” is titled “59 Days of Code,” at work on another project. Photo / Central Valley Community Foundation

Here’s a rundown:

The idea: This is the inaugural “Big Tell” event, and it represents the Central Valley Community Foundation’s first major investment in the art of filmmaking. (One of the missions of the foundation is supporting the arts through grants.) “We have so many talented filmmakers in the Valley that we wanted to support them,” says Gretchen Moore, the foundation’s director of community engagement.

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Share in my video debut

My new monthly talk show gets its big premiere tonight, thanks to CMAC. You’ll be able to access it on demand

There might not be a red carpet tonight, but let’s cue up the rotating spotlights downtown anyway:

The talk-show version of The Munro Review premieres at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, on CMAC 1 (U-verse 99 and Xfinity 93).

A monthly talk show, you say, complete with “Tonight Show”-style desk and comfy chairs for the guests? You bet.

It premieres on CMAC 1 (U-verse 99 and Xfinity 93), and it will rerun throughout the month of October. You’ll also be able to watch the show on demand at cmac.tv and on CMAC’s YouTube channel. Plus — because we believe in lots of options — you can watch it right here on this very post.

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5 picks for September ArtHop

“Geek Artistique” returns for a 2nd year of pop-culture art dedicated to science fiction, fantasy and comics. Also: Don’t miss shows at Gallery 25, Jeffrey Scott Gallery, Clay Hand Studios and CMAC

Lisa Anderson and Martin Shapiro, professors at Fresno State with very busy lives, didn’t quite realize what they were getting into nearly eight years ago when they organized an exhibition titled “Art Scientifique” at the Chris Sorensen Studios. They hadn’t thought beyond that first year. But Sorensen, a wily arts administrator and judge of human behavior, knew exactly what he was doing when he talked to them about the show’s success.

“You have the March slot now,” he told Anderson, as she remembers it.

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Greetings from a Minion: a work by Todd Runberg in “Geek Artistique.” Photo / The Munro Review

They’ve kept up the schedule, opening the seventh annual “Art Scientifique” in March.

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